DR Ron Strand

Ron is an expert in managing large capital campaigns. This expertise includes pre-campaign planning and feasibility studies, brand development, volunteer recruitment and training, and post campaign organization. Ron’s work spans post-secondary education, healthcare and community.

Ron has directed several successful capital campaigns including: the first comprehensive campaign that raised over $50 million for the University of Saskatchewan; a campaign that coordinated the work of 10 healthcare foundations for the Capital Health Region in Edmonton; campaigns that raised the funds to build several civic facilities in Calgary; and the campaign that raised over $60 million resulting in the redevelopment of Heritage Park.

As Executive Director of one of the largest charities in Alberta, Ron led the Conquering Cancer campaign that raised over $30 million to establish a cancer research endowment fund. The brand created for the campaign is still being used by the Foundation, which now raises more than $30 million annually.

Parallel to his fundraising career, Ron has contributed to education within the nonprofit sector by teaching at Mount Royal University (MRU) since 2004. Ron supervised the creation of the Fundraising Certificate Program with MRU, which later became the Certificate in Nonprofit Management Program. Ron piloted the first online course for this program in 2006, and subsequently wrote online courses in Nonprofit Management, Fund Development, Marketing and Public Relations, and Ethics for Nonprofit Management. Ron also wrote the Introduction to Nonprofit Management course used by Keyano College in Fort McMurray. Ron continues to teach online courses as a member of the faculty of the School of Communication Studies, Mount Royal University. He has also written courses in nonprofit management and teaches courses in fundraising, marketing and public relations as a part of the Certificate in Nonprofit Management at Mount Royal.

Ron has earned undergraduate degrees in language and psychology, a graduate degree in community and communications, a Doctor of Education, and has engaged in continuing studies in fine art.

Ron is an artist who enjoys painting, making mixed media creations and drawing cartoons. His recent work has explored the possibilities of using a cartoon like drawing style in figurative paintings. He frequently contributes his work to fundraising events such as the annual art show for Helping Families Handle Cancer and the Calgary Association of Disabled Skiing (CADS) Movement Gala.